The Family Impact Institute is proud to announce that Wisconsin, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Louisiana successfully conducted Family Impact Seminars on Family-Focused Foster Care Policy in 2015. Virginia and Rhode Island conducted their seminars on Family-Focused Foster Care in spring 2016. The second half of North Carolina's Family Impact Seminar was presented in fall 2016. This project was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the briefing reports from each seminar are those of the Family Impact Seminars alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Foundation. More information available on Family-Focused Foster Care, click here.

Virginia Impact Seminars hold 2nd seminar

The Rhode Island Family Impact Seminars held their 5th seminar May 3, 2016 on Aging Out of Foster Care: Fostering Futures Into Adulthood. Featured speakers were Dr. Sunny Shin, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Departments of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University; Andrew Block, Executive Director, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice; and Barbara Favola, Virginia State Senator.

Family Impact Seminar State Sites

The Family Impact Seminars—a series of seminars, discussion sessions, and briefing reports—provide state policymakers with nonpartisan, solution-oriented research on family issues such as after-school programs, children’s health insurance, early childhood care and education, juvenile crime, and welfare reform. The Family Impact Seminars were created to better connect research and policy, and to promote a family impact and racial equity lens in policymaking. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia are part of the Family Impact Institute for Family Impact Seminars network and are currently conducting or planning to conduct Family Impact Seminars in their capitals.

The Seminars target state policymakers, including legislators, legislative aides, governor’s office staff, legislative service agency staff, and agency representatives. The traditional format of the 2-hour seminars consists of three 20-minute presentations given by a panel of premier researchers, program directors, and policy analysts. For each seminar, discussion sessions are held and a background briefing report summarizes high-quality research on the issue in a succinct, easy-to-understand format.

Each state conducts one or two seminars a year, usually in the state capitol building, on an issue identified by a bipartisan group of state legislators. The Seminars are sponsored primarily by universities and Cooperative Extension. If you would like additional information about the Family Impact Seminars, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. If you have any questions, contact Executve Director Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth.

The Family Impact Institute is proud to announce that Wisconsin, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Louisiana successfully conducted Family Impact Seminars on Family-Focused Foster Care Policy in 2015. Virginia and Rhode Island conducted their seminars on Family-Focused Foster Care in spring 2016. The second half of North Carolina's Family Impact Seminar was presented in fall 2016. This project was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the briefing reports from each seminar are those of the Family Impact Seminars alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Foundation. More information available on Family-Focused Foster Care, click here.

Virginia Impact Seminars hold 2nd seminar

The Rhode Island Family Impact Seminars held their 5th seminar May 3, 2016 on Aging Out of Foster Care: Fostering Futures Into Adulthood. Featured speakers were Dr. Sunny Shin, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Departments of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University; Andrew Block, Executive Director, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice; and Barbara Favola, Virginia State Senator.